We can build on this - UAF, team back Monday

Aug 30, 2015

Uganda Athletics Federation president Domenic Otuchet believes that the results from the 2015 Beijing IAAF World Athletics Championships are an eye opener to what they need to correct, before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

By Norman Katende

IAAF Beijing World Championships


Medal table


1 Kenya     6    4   2
2 Jamaica 6   2   3

3 USA      5  5   6
30 Uganda 0 0 1
 
Placing table

1 USA    196 points
2 Kenya 122
3 Jamaica 119
30Uganda 10

Uganda Athletics Federation president Domenic Otuchet believes that the results from the 2015 Beijing IAAF World Athletics Championships are an eye opener to what they need to correct, before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Uganda won a bronze medal courtesy of Solomon Mutai in the men's marathon to finish among 37 of the 177 countries that competed in the biennial event.

Ronald Musagala failed to advance to the semifinal of the men's 1500m at the IAAF championships in Beijing.


But unlike other countries, Team Uganda financing was so strained that the team travelled with only $100 each as contingency money to cater for any eventualities for the 11 athletes who spent ten days in Beijing.

"We are trying hard but without getting funds, we cannot deliver as well as we want. We could not raise enough funds for the team to go to camp and this could be seen by the general performance.  We had to struggle to even give them the basic allowances but it's good that the athletes understood our situation and put in all they can," said Otuchet.

"We were thinking that we could access the annual grant offered by the president as that would have driven us further but we are still failing to access it. The only alternative was to borrow to facilitate a national team,"  added Otuchet.

Defending champion Stephen Kiprotich finished sixth in the men's marathon while Timothy Toroitich finished eighth in the men's 10000m to help boost Uganda's ranking.

"The solution to this is to enter camp early and monitor athletes' performance but without funds, there is no way we can enter camp and train like a team. I am hoping that we will have something like four months' training ahead of the Rio Olympics next year," said coach Benjamin Longiross as the team departed Beijing.

The Errea dressed team is set to arrive in Kampala aboard Ethiopian Airlines s at 1pm on Monday. They are scheduled to address the press at Lugogo two hours after their arrival.

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